Windows7 Flavours

Windows7 is planned to be generally available in three main flavours in Australia, with a few variations included. This may be a blessing in disguise for your average 'ocker, standing in the computer section of Hardley Normals, eyes glazing over at the shiny boxes and the indecipherable crap coming out of the 19 year old acne-ridden sales geek. The three main versions are Home Premium, Professional and Ultimate. Users can either upgrade from an earlier version of Windows, which costs less, or purchase the full version..

The basic version, Windows7 Home Premium will be preinstalled on most PCs. Windows7 Professional is also available and is aimed at small businesses / enterprise users and Windows7 Ultimate will have all features.

There are also 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows7. This refers to how Windows addresses the computer's CPU and how much RAM it can handle. A 32-bit operating system can address up to three gigabytes of RAM and a 64-bit operating system can address upwards of 4GB. Users who need to use graphically-intensive, super-high-memory-requirement types of applications (i.e. games) will use the 64-bit versions to support the higher level of RAM.

Windows7 Home Premium will set you back 299 beans outright, while Professional is $449 and Ultimate comes in at an ultimately extortionate price of $469. Upgrades versions cost $199 for Home Premium, $399 for Professional or $429 for Ultimate.

A quick tip here is to install the new OS from scratch, after backing up your data. This usually means booting to the DVD and formatting the whole drive. The upgrade versions do not ned to be installed over the top of previous versions, they only need to 'see' the previous Windows installation disc when asked for.

Confused by the array of choices? Me too. Don't worry there are many, many more to choose from really. The aforementioned was only a gross oversimplification to lull the unsuspecting into a false sense of security. Just kidding. For those who prefer the direct comparison approach, here are some tables for reference. Starting off with a relatively simple table showing the main differences between the versions. This next table shows some feature comparisons and hardware interactions. And for those who favour big-arse comparison tables this example should fill the widescreen to satisfaction.

A final lighter note, let us not forget some of the unofficial releases which will shortly become available once the product has settled into the market. Some readers may be familiar with the staggering levels of software piracy, particularly in parts of the world such as South East Asia, where it is estimated that over 95% of Windows installs are pirated versions.

Here then are some of the special editions of Windows7 which might not make it to the shelves of Australian retailers..